


Are You Quick To Kiss?

by stevie_RST



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bitty and Kent become friends, Fluff and Smut, Frottage, Getting Together, Healthy Relationships, I went into this trying to write angst but that didn't really happen, Jack heart eyes Zimmermann, M/M, Multi, Polyamorous relationship, Polyamory, Polyamory Negotiations, Post Stanley Cup Kiss, Post-Coital Cuddling, mentions of Jack's anxiety, the history documentary they watch is a real documentary on Netflix
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-28
Updated: 2019-11-28
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:34:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21587710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stevie_RST/pseuds/stevie_RST
Summary: Jack, Kent, and Bitty figure it all out. I just takes Twitter DMs, Skype calls, an interrupted kiss, and a passive-aggressive mutual love confession for it to all come together.
Relationships: Eric "Bitty" Bittle/Jack Zimmermann, Eric "Bitty" Bittle/Kent "Parse" Parson, Eric "Bitty" Bittle/Kent "Parse" Parson/Jack Zimmermann, Kent "Parse" Parson/Jack Zimmermann
Comments: 17
Kudos: 100
Collections: Polya Epifest 2019





	Are You Quick To Kiss?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ShortAngryTwinks](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShortAngryTwinks/gifts).



> This was my first Epifest and my first Check Please fest so thank you to the mods for creating and facilitating such an awesome fest!! And thanks to anyone in the epifest server who encouraged me and/or did writing sprints with me!
> 
> Thank you to my betas: [thatsclassicsbaby](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatsclassicsbaby/works) and [kirani](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kirani/pseuds/kirani/works)!! You're both amazing and I don't know what I would have done without you editing this fic and encouraging me!! 
> 
> Regina_Writes, I hope you enjoy this fic!! Thanks for having such awesome prompts to choose from (I kind of wish I could have written something for all of your ideas)!!
> 
> Title from the song "Snails" by The Format

Kent didn’t know what emotions he was feeling as he kept rewatching Jack kiss his boyfriend at center ice after he won the goddamn Stanley Cup. It was pretty bold and especially bold for Jack. Kent wished he was in that kid’s shoes. To be the one in Jack’s arms, kissing him on the ice, Alicia and Bob looking on wearing expressions of shock laced with absolute fondness. Kent was aware it was a bit pathetic, still harboring a crush after so many years. He tried to move on, he really did, but it was _Jack_. No one else he had been with measured up to the great parts of his short-lived relationship with Jack. 

But it had been years now, closer to a decade than not. They were both adults now. They were no longer kids with all the pressure of the hockey world on their shoulders, people just waiting to see if they would succeed or fail. Kent always hoped they could make it work again. 

He knew he needed to stop watching the video on loop, but hell, what was a little more self-pity at this point? He hit the replay button on the video on his phone. If only to imagine a little longer before dealing with the real world. It would be a media circus and he was bound to get sucked into it. 

He spent years thinking Jack wasn’t actually queer, that he was in love, while Jack only wanted to experiment, and yet there he is Jack Zimmermann, the first out player in the NHL. 

\--------------------

Kent had requested to follow Bitty on Twitter. The notification stared back at Bitty for a while. His Twitter was only private because of the onslaught of media attention after his and Jack’s kiss after the Cup. He had already been following Kent for a while, since before the Epikegster, before Samwell actually. And even after everything, he never saw the point in _unfollowing_ him. Bitty wasn’t too surprised that Kent wanted to follow him now. Jack had won the Cup and they had kissed on the ice. Kent probably wanted to get in touch with Jack and decided going through Bitty might work out better for him.

Bitty contemplated ignoring the follow request. He even locked his phone and put it down on his desk, only to pick it up not even two minutes later. Ultimately, he accepted Kent’s follow and was not surprised to receive a direct message from him no more than thirty seconds later. 

Now Bitty was intrigued, it was obvious that Kent was waiting for Bitty to accept the request. He probably had his message typed out and ready to send once Bitty actually approved his follow.

 _Hey, Eric. Just want you and Zimms to know that I support you guys. A bunch of other Aces do too._  
_Let Zimms know he can text me_  
_Only if he wants of course_  
_Or I can text him?_

Bitty paused after reading the messages, he didn’t want it to seem like a big deal, that he was staring at his phone, that he was staring at Twitter DMs from _Kent Parson_ of all people. Kent Parson, captain of an NHL team, but also his boyfriend’s ex. Bitty was just glad that Kent seemed genuinely supportive of Jack coming out and wasn’t going to be an asshole about it. 

After rereading Kent’s messages for a third, or maybe it was a fourth time, Bitty typed a response. 

**Well thank you Mr. Parson**  
**Im sure that Jack would appreciate that you’ve got his back**  
**I can tell him you messaged me but can’t promise he’ll text you**

The next reply came in about as quickly as Bitty expected, which was mere seconds after he sent his last message. 

_Of course yeah_  
_It’s up to Zimms_  
_Just want him to know I don’t care_

Another reply didn’t come right away, but it did show that Kent was typing, and then it went away. Bitty was about to reply, but then more typing and another message came through followed quickly by more. 

_I mean I do care a lot. I just meant I want him to know that I dont mind that he came out. I don’t want him to think i’ll be mad he didn’t let me know or smthing_  
_Cause he didnt have to tell me anything, but yeah_

There was a longer pause again and then: 

_I’ve been thinking about coming out, not soon, but eevntually_  
_*eventually_

**That’s a very brave thing to tell me**  
**I’ll let Jack know : )**  
**For what it’s worth I think he’ll text you, but maybe make sure to include an apology**  
**I don’t know everything, but I know that you both owe each other apologies**

_That’s fair and for what it’s worth thanks for not hating me_  
_Thanks for answering me_

Bitty was sure that on the other side of the country, Kent Parson was breathing a sigh of relief, that his messages were met with understanding responses. Bitty really didn’t hate him, but he also wasn’t one of Bitty’s favorite people. 

But Kent just kept DMing Bitty, and Bitty found it endearing so he kept responding. Before they both knew it, Kent was messaging Bitty pictures of his cats as well as selfies, asking for his opinion on options before he posted them to Twitter and Instagram. 

It just happened over time that they kept messaging each other. And when it came time for it, Kent even made sure to message Bitty after Jack had texted him back when he finally worked up the courage to start the conversation, even though they both knew Bitty would hear about it from Jack.

\--------------------

One evening, Bitty found Jack in the living room watching one of Kent’s games on TV. Bitty had never realized until that moment that Jack watched a lot of Kent’s games, at least when they didn’t interfere with his own, but seeing it now, Bitty didn’t know how that piece of information slipped past him. Well, it was probably due to the fact that Kent Parson was on his mind a lot more now that they had a tentative friendship on Twitter. 

There was also the fact that soon after messaging Bitty, Kent texted Jack. Bitty happened to be with Jack when he received it, so he witnessed Jack’s face journey from surprise, through curiously confused, all the way to tentatively happy. Half a smile graced Jack’s face once he actually read Kent’s texts. That set the tone for Jack and Kent to mend their broken friendship, and Bitty was in support of anything that put a genuine smile on Jack’s face like that. 

It was strange to think that Kent who talked to him on Twitter was the same Kent that crashed the Epikegster and argued with Jack in his room. But then again it was strange when Bitty remembered how awful Jack was to him when they first met and how they eventually became friends and then boyfriends. Bitty was realizing how important second chances really were. 

\--------------------

The thing was that Bitty and Kent became friends. Kent was surprised but happy about that development. As he talked to Bitty, Kent realized that they had a lot in common, aside from the obvious (hockey, an obsession with pop music, being in love with Jack). They both knew they were gay from a young age, even when they didn’t have the words for it, and were extremely hesitant to come out to even the people they trusted most.

Kent chirped Bitty about the flashcards he used when he came out for the first time, and Bitty chirped him right back for how Kent spent so much time thinking about how to come out to his sister when it turned out she already knew and was also gay. 

Kent also found that he loved talking about figure skating with Bitty cause he didn’t have to reign in his enthusiasm for the sport. Kent got interested in figure skating when he would watch Olympic figure skating on TV with his little sister when they were younger. He didn’t really think about how Bitty used to figure skate — even though it was in his Twitter bio — until Kent asked him how he got into hockey. 

Over a couple months, their friendship went from zero to a hundred real quick. Their communication went from occasional DMs on Twitter, to daily texts and bi-weekly Skype sessions. Around the same time he started up his Twitter correspondence with Bitty, was when Kent finally got the nerve to text Jack and apologize. Which led to Jack apologizing as well, giving them both closure and a start towards mending their friendship. 

Kent often talked to Bitty about the conversations he had with Jack. He didn’t tell him everything, but he did try to gauge how Jack felt about their rekindled friendship since he especially could be hard to read over text. Kent felt himself smile every time he saw a new text notification from Jack light up on his phone. 

It was during one of Kent and Bitty’s scheduled Skype calls while Jack was on a roadie (so Kent knew Bitty was at Samwell and not at Jack’s apartment) and Kent had a day off that Kent brought up the fact that he was still very much in love with Jack. 

“Hey, Bits, um what would you say if, hypothetically, I told you that I’m still in love with your boyfriend?” Kent asked hesitantly, not making eye contact with Bitty through the screen as he pet Kit while he spoke. 

“Well, sweetheart, I would _hypothetically_ say that I already knew that,” Bitty replied with extreme emphasis on the word hypothetically that Kent briefly wondered just how obvious he was about his love for Jack. 

“What!? How?” Kent asked with honest shock on his face. He had been agonizing over admitting that to Bitty. He was almost too worried to eat the last couple of days. And Swoops started picking up on his anxiety when they hung out away from the rest of the team. The thing was Kent didn’t want to lose Jack again, but he also didn’t want to lose his newly found friendship with Bitty either. Bitty was becoming an important person in his life and he wanted it to stay that way. 

After that, it was a very odd conversation, not because it went badly, but because it went a way Kent didn’t hope to expect. Bitty told him that he’d been researching polyamory and he even asked a friend who was polyamorous for some advice. 

“If you confess to Jack and he’s open to it — and I can tell you that he is at least open to the idea of polyamory — then we can make it work.” Bitty smiled at the screen and Kent could tell he was about to gush about Jack and he wasn’t wrong when Bitty started talking again. “I just want Jack to be happy, and I know that y’all talking again makes him happy. And maybe more would make him even happier. But, Mr. Parson, I ain’t asking him for you. You’ve gotta do that yourself.” 

Kent felt himself blushing a little, he didn’t know that Bitty could read him so easily already. It was nice to have another close friend who would call him out on his bullshit, while also supporting him unconditionally. 

“Um, I think I can handle that,” he smirked, growing more confident the more he thought about it. He was more nervous than when he went into the Stanley Cup finals for the first time, but he was just as excited too. He couldn’t wait until he could get the chance to talk to Jack. He had to think about this though, he couldn’t just text him for Christ’s sake. A call was still too impersonal. It would have to be in person. 

\--------------------

There was always a moment whenever Jack saw Kent that took him back to the Q. To playing on the same line, sharing hotel rooms, having dinner at home with his parents. To the simple times amidst the chaos of being a teenage athlete hoping to go pro. 

Seeing Kent with a real smile, one that reached his eyes, gracing his face was a new but welcomed sight. Jack figured Kent had reason to smile though, the Aces did just win the game they both just finished playing. 

“Hey Zimms, how’s it going?” Kent greeted. 

“Not too bad, considering. Um, it’s good to see you, Kenny. I mean in person since we started talking again. I guess we kind of have Bits to thank for that though. And I’m glad he was able to come to the game tonight.” 

“Yeah, we do, don’t we? He’s really something,” Kent smirked. “He’s a really good guy to have in your corner. Anyway, thanks for agreeing to talk in person.” 

“It’s the least I can do now that we’re friends again. We are friends again right?” 

“Well, I wouldn’t have been texting you for the past few months if we weren’t.” He paused, “Yeah Zimms, we’re friends.” ~~It went unsaid that they had practice avoiding each after years without communication.~~

“So did you have something important to talk about? It seemed like you really wanted to talk face-to-face.” 

“Yeah, um, you could say it’s important,” Kent mumbled. Even after so many years of avoiding Kent, Jack knew his tells. The way that Kent was wringing his hands and clearing his throat before speaking, were clear indicators that he was nervous. Jack just didn’t know why, which was causing his anxiety to creep into the back of his mind. 

Jack started counting in his head to keep the anxiety at bay. It was mostly under control, but Kent looked nervous enough for both of them and Jack really did not want to have a panic attack, not that he really got to choose when they happened, but he did have some control over his thoughts. 

“Why don’t we go sit on the couch? Over in the corner?” Kent asked and started walking towards one of the couches in the players’ lounge. Jack took a breath and followed him to the couch. 

Kent sat down, and Jack sat next to him, a respectable foot of distance between them. Jack turned to look at Kent, right when Kent sprang to his feet and started pacing in front of the couch, his eyes cast down towards the floor. 

After a few moments passed, Jack opened his mouth to ask Kent if he was okay, but Kent beat him to saying anything. 

“Well, okay. I just need to fucking say this or I’m gonna chicken out.” Kent stopped pacing and turned on his heel to face Jack where he sat on the couch. He took a deep breath. “Jack, I love you. I’m _in_ love with you. That hasn’t stopped over all these years…” 

Jack raised his hand from where it was resting on his thigh, “Kenny, we--” 

Kent cut him off, “No Zimms, ugh, _Jack_ , just let me say this” he tacked on a “please” to emphasize how much he just needed to get this out without interruption. 

“I have been in love with you since the Q. I had a huge crush on you before we even started dating. Or I guess to you we were just fucking. But I loved you. And I tried to get over you when you cut me out. I was an absolute disaster, but I got here somehow.” Kent laughed self-deprecatingly. 

Jack wondered where this was going. Kent would always be important to him, despite how awful they had been to each other over the years. But, and it was a big but, Jack was in a relationship. With Bitty. It was a really good relationship too. 

Sure it was overwhelming immediately after they came out and it was still stressful from time to time (it had only been about five months since the Cup, and being in the public eye was never easy), but Jack wanted to spend the rest of his life with Bitty, that much he knew for certain. He could deal with some invasive questions from reporters and losing some fans if it meant he could be himself with the man he loved (therapy helped him realize a lot of things). 

“We’re not kids anymore. We can try this again,” Kent said with so much longing in his voice that Jack just stared at his face, taking in his blue-green eyes, the nervous set of his jaw before he spoke again. 

“And um,” Kent cleared his throat. “Eric, uh, Bitty knows. You know that we’ve become friends over these past few months. Well, he knows about my grand plan to confess my love to you, like some damn romcom. But he kind of encouraged me to tell you, and I know he’s not that much of a dick that he would prank me or something.” 

“But Kenny, you love romcoms.” 

“That’s the part that stood out to you!?” Kent asked incredulously. It was followed by a laugh though, and Jack saw some of the tension just drain out of him. 

“It made you laugh, didn’t it?” Jack said. Internally he was wondering just what Kent meant by the fact that Bitty knew about all this. It was easier to latch onto Kent’s throwaway comment than the more important parts of what he said. Jack’s mind was reeling a bit. 

“He said it’s up to you. To obviously keep dating him, but then also date me. You know, you could date both of us, separately.” 

“Will that really work?” Jack asked skeptically. He was starting to imagine being with Kent again. Zimms and Kenny against the world. But Bitty was always at the forefront in his mind. Could he date Kent, while still being wholly committed to Bitty? Was it fair to them for him to date them both? It felt like a lot of pressure, but also it would be nice. Nice to be with Kent, nice to have someone else to talk to, so that it wasn’t all on Bitty. 

Just from his train of thought, Jack knew he was seriously considering it. It was his chance to be with Kent like they always expected they would when they were teenagers. They weren’t on the same team, but they both made it to the NHL, they had both won the cup (Kent a few more times than Jack, he just needed to catch up), and they had an opportunity to try a relationship again. 

Jack would have to talk to Bitty about all of this still, but he knew Kent wouldn’t lie that Bitty knew he was talking to Kent. Bitty would have said something if he really hated the idea. And Bitty knew more about all of this than he did if he was being honest. 

“I guess we have to try it out and see,” Kent answered hesitantly, a questioning look on his face. 

Jack let out a breathe, “Yeah I guess we will.” He smiled at Kent. 

Jack was still sitting on the couch, not willing to get up at the risk of ruining the moment. He held out his hand and beckoned Kent closer from where he was standing, “Come here, Kenny.” 

All of a sudden, Kent stepped forward and was in Jack’s embrace. Jack wrapped his arms around Kent’s hips and Kent leaned down to wrap his arms around Jack’s head as it met his stomach. Jack pushed his face into Kent's torso, his face pressed into the crisp fabric of his dress shirt. After a few moments, Jack looked up and Kent had unshed tears in the corners of his eyes. Jack couldn’t remember the last time he saw Kent cry. It was more of a statement on how long they hadn’t been in each other’s lives until recently than on how frequently Kent cried because as long as Jack had known him, Kent had always been a crier. 

Jack gripped Kent tightly. He gave his hips a squeeze and then drew back. He leaned his head back to see Kent’s face better. Kent was staring down at him lovingly. It wasn’t too dissimilar from the look Bitty gave him when Jack did something he found endearing. It felt easy to think of Bitty while he was with Kent and not feel guilty, which he figured was a good sign. 

Jack watched as Kent’s eyes trailed down from his eyes and to his lips. Kent rested his hands on Jack’s shoulders and licked his own lips. “Jack, can I kiss you?” 

Jack nodded, “Please, Kenny.” A moment later Kent leaned over, slid his hands down to grip Jack’s biceps, and hauled him to his feet. Their lips met softly and Jack felt his eyes slip closed. Since they were now both standing, Jack was, of course, taller than Kent and took that opportunity to nuzzle Kent’s hair, inhaling the scent of him before he found his lips again. 

Kent moaned as Jack kissed down his cheek, his jaw until he kissed his lips again. Kent gently bit Jack’s bottom lip and followed it with a swipe of his tongue as he gripped Jack’s jaw in his hands. Jack squeezed Kent’s shoulders as they continued their passionate kiss, noses bumping. Jack made a sound akin to a whimper and trailed his hands up Kent’s neck and up to the top of his head. His plan was to grip Kent’s hair, but he was of course still wearing his signature snapback. Right when Jack’s hand knocked Kent’s snapback off of his head and grabbed strands of unruly blond hair, he heard a gasp from the direction of the door. 

\--------------------

The thing is, Bitty didn’t mean to walk in on them. He was aware Kent was going to talk to Jack. Jack texted him to let him know. But Jack didn’t know that Kent also texted Bitty to tell him his full plan. Bitty encouraged Kent to talk to Jack and confess his feelings. And Bitty knew how much Jack _did_ miss Kent. Now that they were finally on friendlier terms, Bitty knew that Kent wasn’t the only one daydreaming about the good times that existed in their relationship. 

But knowing that their conversation could end in the two of them getting together and actually seeing them kissing were two different things. Bitty never thought that he would find his boyfriend kissing another man hot. Yet there he was trying to keep his breathing in check while he watched Jack and Kent kiss. Now just to add his newfound attraction to Kent Parson to the list of things he _never_ talked about. 

Kent’s hands held onto Jack’s jaw while Jack ran his hands through Kent’s hair, knocking his backward snapback off of his head in the process. Bitty gripped his hand tighter around his phone. He must have let out an audible gasp since Jack and Kent pulled away from each other seconds later. 

They didn’t spring apart as if being caught, but lingered. Kent’s hands rested gently on Jack’s neck while Jack’s hands tensed on Kent’s shoulders. 

“Don’t mind me, I’m just gonna go, and wait. Y’all come find me when you're,” Bitty cleared his throat “...done here.” He knew his cheeks and ears had to be pink with embarrassment as well as arousal.

“Bits wait!” Jack disentangled himself from Kent’s embrace and walked over to Bitty and gently grabbed his hand. He looked Bitty in the eye, “Are you sure?” 

Bitty knew that Jack’s question encompassed the whole situation and not just whether Bitty was okay waiting for them. They would have an in-depth conversation later. 

“Yes, Honey. It’s fine, you two come find me in a few minutes.” Bitty smiled reassuringly at Jack. He squeezed Jack’s hands and stood on his tip-toes to kiss Jack’s cheek. 

Bitty waved at Kent as he stepped away from Jack, “Hello, Mr. Parson. I can see that your talk went well.” 

“It really did. Thank you.” Kent replied. Bitty could tell just how much Kent really meant what he said. He was thankful to Bitty. 

“Alright boys, I’m gonna go. I have pie waiting for us at home” (he loved calling Jack’s apartment home), He pecked Jack on the lips, “Love you, Sweetpea.” 

“I love you, too, Bits. Um, we’ll meet you in a little while.” 

Bitty winked at Kent as he stepped back to walk towards the door, Kent’s only response was a chuckle. 

\--------------------

Kent was happy. More than happy. He found himself smiling a lot. And while his life was by no means awful without Jack it was just a lot better with him. And even with Bitty. Kent had to admit that Bitty was a big part of the reason why this all worked out. Kent and Jack were a little too intense for each other at times. Kent was also glad that someone was there for Jack when he wasn’t, seeing that he was usually on the other side of the country. Kent had his cat and his teammates that had become his family over the years, so he was okay. He had gotten used to it. 

It was great to wake up to texts from Jack on his phone, one of the ways the three hour time difference actually worked for them. There were still texts from Bitty too. Their conversations were mostly comprised of memes and chirps. Kent also spammed him with even more photos of Kit than he used to. Bitty already knew that receiving numerous pictures of Kit was a sort of rite of passage to being friends with Kent. And Bitty was definitely one of Kent’s best friends even before the whole being metamours thing. 

\--------------------

For Jack, having two boyfriends was a lot less stressful than he thought it might be. While he was all for it when Kent asked him and even more so once he talked about it with Bitty, he was still anxious, which wasn’t surprising to anyone. But once everything became part of his routine, Jack couldn’t imagine his life without both of his boyfriends. He was beyond happy that he was able to get dinner with Kent when they played against each other. And he still loved that Bitty would surprise him with dinner at his apartment when he came home from long roadies. 

Jack felt like he had two homes and it was a comfort he didn’t expect. He was home whenever he was with Kent _or_ Bitty, which meant that being with Kent _and_ Bitty at the same time was ... magical. He found himself turning into even more of a sap with how much he loved that Kent and Bitty not only got along, but were friends in their own right. 

Jack and Kent didn’t want a huge amount of people privy to their relationship since it was still new and Kent wasn’t fully out. His family knew and it was an open secret among the Aces. They both already had to deal with the press questioning old rumors about the two of them. Jack was patient, Kent didn’t have to come out publicly until he was ready, or at all, but Jack knew he thought about it. So while everyone knew about Jack and Bitty (that’s what you get for kissing on national television), Tater was one of the few people that also knew about Jack and Kent. Jack had known that he would want to tell Tater eventually since he was probably his best friend on the team, so he made sure to ask Kent about it when they talked. These days Tater often chirped him for his heart eyes whenever he checked his phone and had new texts from Bitty and Kent. 

But Kent did give Jack the okay to tell Tater. When Jack told him, Jack was surprised to find out that Kent and Tater were actually friends. They weren’t super close, but they were more than just acquaintances through hockey. 

Once Jack told him, Tater wouldn’t stop smiling and chirping Jack that he should have extra fines to pay since he had two significant others. And then he pouted and texted Kent because he couldn’t believe Kent didn’t tell him he was dating someone. 

\--------------------

Well, Jack should have seen this coming. Despite their arrangement working well and the healthy communication they had going on, Jack knew that both Bitty and Kent were good at avoiding their feelings, just in different ways. 

Jack knew something was up when Bitty kept being the one to bring up Kent in conversation. Sure it took him some time to realize a pattern, but he noticed eventually. Bitty would mention Kent more and more often. He started sending Kent pies more frequently and made sure to send Kent good luck texts before all his games. 

There were also the tweets between Bitty and Kent that kept getting more flirty over time. Jack didn’t really use his Twitter. He had it because PR thought it was a good idea so Bitty set it up for him, but he did follow his boyfriends and was always amused by their conversations. Bitty would often retweet Kent’s pictures of Kit and Kent would always respond to Bitty’s Twitter rants with support or threats to get back at people for him. 

They would also chirp each other a lot, but Jack could tell that the chirps were fairly flirty. At least to him, they were. He knew he could often be oblivious, but he was dating them both so he was well versed in their flirting being that he was often on the receiving end of it. 

\--------------------

Jack was having a hard time adjusting to a change in the dosage of his anxiety meds and both Bitty and Kent could tell by his moods. It was hard that they were all long distance. While Bitty was closer, being only forty minutes away, it didn’t change the fact that he was in class and couldn’t do anything to help Jack. The change in his meds was supposed to help with the panic attacks he started having more frequently again mostly due to hockey related stress. Which was made worse since _both_ the Falconers and the Aces were experiencing losing streaks after a few recent games. This also meant that Jack wasn’t the only one in a shitty mood recently. 

Bitty knew that Jack and Kent could get intense with each other. Whether it was good or bad, the two of them could get pretty heated. Bitty had, of course, witnessed it before, not even just at the Epikegster. 

It came to a head the next weekend when Bitty was visiting Jack in Providence. Jack was Skyping Kent while Bitty finished making dinner. Bitty said hi to Kent and Kit — who was purring in his lap — and retreated to the kitchen so Jack and Kent had some time to talk. They were both pretty busy but managed to keep a good Skype schedule. 

Things were fine when Bitty left them to it, both of them seeming like they had their moods under control, so Bitty zoned out humming Beyonce while he chopped vegetables. The next thing he knew there were raised voices coming from the living room. Bitty put down his knife and wiped his hands on a dishtowel as he left the kitchen to investigate. Any sort of argument was the last thing any of them needed right now. 

Bitty walked into the living room, hoping to find out exactly what they were arguing about to help put a stop to it. While he wasn’t one for confrontation, he knew that Jack and Kent often needed mediation when they argued. It was something they all agreed on when Jack and Kent started dating and they realized they were both willing to listen to Bitty. 

“ _Crisse de Calisse_ , Kent! It’s not my fault your team is losing. I have to worry enough about my own team,” Jack said, voice raised as he looked intently at Kent on his computer screen. Bitty knew the fight was bad if Jack was calling him Kent instead of “Kenny.” 

“Well thanks for being fucking sympathetic, Zimms,” Kent snipped sarcastically. “At least my team will probably still have a chance at getting to Playoffs.”

Bitty decided to intervene before the back-and-forth continued on until one of them angrily hung up the call. 

Bitty made his way further into the living room and walked behind the couch so he would be in Kent’s line of sight through the camera. He put his hand on Jack’s shoulder and murmured “Hey, sweetheart, what are you and Kenny arguin’ about. Wanna talk about it?” 

Jack remained silent and Bitty lifted his head to more fully see Kent on the computer screen and asked “What about you, honey? Wanna tell me what’s got you yelling at each other. Cause I know both of y’all say things you don’t mean when you’re angry.”

Separately, Bitty could see all three of them realize how well Bitty was able to diffuse the tension whenever Jack and Kent argued. It wasn’t that they relied on Bitty to sort out their issues, but more that Bitty was able to make them both realize that they weren’t actually trying to be mean to each other, but that old habits die hard and they know exactly how to rile each other up. 

\--------------------

One weekend during Bitty’s Spring break, Bitty and Jack went to Vegas to visit Kent. At first, Bitty didn’t want to intrude, but Kent invited him and the three of them did enjoy hanging out together. 

On Saturday night, Bitty commandeered Kent’s kitchen in order to make them pie to eat for dessert after their take-out Indian food. Jack went into Kent’s bedroom to Skype with his parents (or his therapist, maybe?), so it was just Bitty and Kent in the kitchen. 

Kent kept offering to help and Bitty kept arguing that he enjoyed baking for people and Kent’s company was enough. Their friendship had been a little weird for a bit right after Jack and Kent started dating and were still figuring out their relationship. Even though Bitty was happy that Jack and Kent were happy. It was strange when Bitty thought that one of his best friends and his boyfriend were also dating. And Kent really was more than just a friend. Plus Bitty was still in denial that he was attracted to Kent. 

Since Kent wouldn’t let up and Bitty knew he needed something to keep him occupied — they were alike in that way — Bitty put Kent in charge of getting the ingredients out of the cabinets for him. Kent even moved the fancy food processor he bought — since he knew Bitty would be making pie and a food processor speeds up the crust making process — to the kitchen island for Bitty while he tied on an apron and washed the new pie tins Kent had bought him. 

“Thank you, sweetpea, you know you really didn’t have to do any of that for me, but I sure do appreciate it.” Bitty smiled at Kent and moved towards the counter where everything was set out for him to get going on the pie crust. 

Bitty picked his head up to talk to Kent, only to realize he hadn’t moved from where he was standing and was looking at Bitty with a confused expression on his face. 

“Kent? Sweetpea, are you alright?” 

“Um, yeah, but you called me ‘sweetpea’ just now. And a little bit ago.” 

Bitty laughed, “I’m sure you’re used to my frequent use of nicknames by now.” 

“Well yeah, but you called me ‘sweetpea.’ I’ve only ever heard you refer to Jack that way. Your nicknames have a hierarchy, Bits.” 

“Well I don’t see what the big deal is,... Sweetpea,” Bitty smirked, with laughter in his eyes. 

Kent just sighed and rolled his eyes, “Yeah, alright, I can’t say I don’t like it. So I guess it’s not a big deal.” 

\--------------------

A few moments later, Jack returned to the kitchen. Bitty and Kent didn’t know that Jack had heard part of their conversation where Bitty called Kent ‘sweetpea’ and was completely endeared by it. Jack had also realized that Bitty almost exclusively used that nickname for him, but he never told Bitty that. Jack also couldn’t deny that it made him feel a happy sort of warmth inside at hearing Bitty also refer to Kent as his ‘sweetpea.’

Maybe there was more to it and Bitty and Kent liked each other as more than friends or metamours. 

\--------------------

A couple of months later, when it was the off-season, Bitty and Kent frequented Jack’s apartment. It made sense for Bitty to stay with Jack since he didn’t want to spend the whole summer stuck in Georgia, and it was easy enough for Kent to train with Jack and a couple of the other Falcs, regardless of Swoops’ chirping him over text. 

It was a normal evening. Well a normal evening where Bitty and Kent were both at Jack’s apartment to visit and spend time together, the three of them. Jack and Bitty went on a sort of date yesterday before Kent arrived and then Jack and Kent went out to lunch while Bitty stayed at the apartment to bake a pie or five. His argument was that they all needed one of their favorites and then he had to bake extra to send Kent back with.

Once Jack and Kent returned, there were cooling pies lining the kitchen counter and Bitty was unsurprisingly dancing to Beyoncé while he finished cleaning up. “Hey boys,” he greeted as they walked farther into the kitchen. Jack walked around the counter to where Bitty was wiping down the counter and put his hands on Bitty’s hips as he kissed him on the cheek. 

“It smells great in here, Bits. Thank you for the pie. Je t’aime.” 

Jack noticed Bitty had a smile on his face as he looked towards Kent and murmured “This boy,” in his sweet voice. 

Jack followed Bitty’s line of sight and realized that Kent had taken a seat on one of the counter stools, and was watching them with a fond look on his face. But to Jack, the expression seemed a little off. As if Kent was unsure or restraining himself from saying something. Jack and Kent had gotten a lot better at communicating and their trust ran deep. 

Jack hoped that he would find out what was bugging Kent, but he also knew now that he shouldn’t push and Kent will probably tell him when he’s ready. Although, Jack had a feeling it had something to do with the way Kent’s eyes got soft and a small smile graced his face when Bitty told him how school was going and how he and Kit had come to an agreement that she could be in the kitchen as long as she didn’t walk on the counters (Jack has no idea how Bitty came to an agreement with a cat, but he wasn’t going to say anything). 

\--------------------

It was later in the evening after dinner once the three of them piled on the couch to watch something and just hang out. Bitty was sitting in the corner of the sectional, scrolling through Twitter as usual. Jack sat next to him his arm on the back of the couch behind Bitty, while Kent sprawled out on the length of the couch, his head in Jack’s lap. Between Bitty and Kenny was Jack’s favorite place to be. He loved when the three of them could spend time together. 

They watched a history documentary because it was Jack’s turn to choose and he hadn’t had a chance to watch it yet. He would think it was selfish, but Bitty and Kent both assured him it was fine, he sat through some of their movie choices that weren't his favorite so it was a pretty fair set up. And he didn't care if Kent fell asleep or if Bitty’s main focus was his Twitter feed, just being with them was enough. Jack got to watch a WWII documentary about five Hollywood directors who went to war and how it affected them while cuddled up with his boyfriends. As the documentary progressed, he put his arm around Bitty who snuggled into him and played with Kent’s hair with his other hand. 

(However, Jack was unaware of the chirpy, flirty conversation Bitty and Kent were having over Twitter and was only clued in that something was going on when Kent suddenly sat up and twisted around to look at Bitty). 

“Bits you have to know how much I love spending time with you. Even without Jack, no offense babes,” He patted Jack on the thigh as he turned more fully so he was sitting sideways on the couch to face Bitty. 

“Why would I be offended? I’m so happy that the two of you get along so well,” Jack responded, his attention still half on the documentary as he was unaware of how the conversation abruptly started. 

“I really do like you, Bits, you’re my best friend!” Kent continued. 

“What do you mean you like me?” 

“Um, I mean exactly that. I like you, Eric… Bits. You’ve become one of my best friends. For fuck’s sake, we share a boyfriend. Doesn’t seem too surprising that I’d fall in love with you too--” 

“Now you love me??” Bitty interrupted, a hopeful look crossing his face. 

“Uhh, I actually said that out loud, didn't I?” 

Bitty just nodded his head. 

Kent stood up and crossed in front of Jack to stand closer to Bitty, “Well yeah, Bits you’re easy to love and I fall really hard if you haven’t noticed,” Kent laughed. 

Bitty looked up at Kent from where he was sitting on the couch. Bitty stood up and grabbed Kent’s hand as he asked, “Do you wanna be my boyfriend too?” 

“Hey that’s my line, you haven’t even said you like me!?” Kent questioned incredulously. 

“Well, I thought it was obvious! I didn’t know I had to say it now. You are one of my best friends. And I only send personalized pies to people I like, Mr. Parson.” 

Jack decided to interrupt then, “Are you two going to kiss anytime soon? I want to finish the rest of this documentary and you’re blocking the TV.” He said it with a smile, so his boyfriends knew he was partially joking. 

Kent and Bitty just looked at each other, then at Jack and both burst into laughter at the ridiculousness of the situation. Jack laughed too, knowing he was going to be chirped later for his never-wavering love of history documentaries. But he would admit that he would much rather watch his boyfriends confess all their pent up feelings for each other. 

Once all their laughter died down. Kent stepped even closer and put his hand on Bitty’s shoulder, Bitty turned his head so they were facing each other and looked up at Kent’s face when he spoke. “I mean it Bits, I love you. And yes, I want to be your boyfriend. You and Zimms I wanna be with both of you. All three of us together if it’s okay with you. And Zimms, I didn’t really run this past him yet.” Kent glanced at Jack as he said this and Jack gave him an enthusiastic nod of approval. 

“Of course that’s okay with me. Gosh, it’s more than okay. Will you just kiss me already?” Bitty asked, looking up at Kent through his eyelashes. 

“Yeah, Bits, yes,” Kent moved his hand from where it was holding Bitty’s shoulder and grabbed him around the waist. Kent tilted his head to the side and gently kissed Bitty on the lips. Bitty whined at the first contact of Kent’s lips against his. 

After that first press of lips, all bets were off. Bitty wrapped his arms around Kent’s neck and clung to him. Kent squeezed Bitty’s waist and managed to pull their bodies even closer to each other. 

They were still blocking the TV, but Jack couldn't care less. He felt a warmth in the pit of his stomach as he watched the two people he loved most kiss each other. 

\--------------------

Bitty could feel himself getting even more aroused the more Kent kissed him. It was like he couldn’t breathe he was so happy, but it also might have been a lack of oxygen due to how Kent just kept kissing him. 

Bitty gasped as one of Kent’s hands skimmed down his side and around his hip to grip his ass. He could feel Kent’s hard cock where it was pressed against his hip now that they were closer than they had even been. He knew that he was just as hard and Kent could definitely feel it. 

Kent kissed down the side of Bitty’s neck and all Bitty could do was gasp, “ah, Kent.”  
“Yeah, Bits, baby, I got you.” Kent murmured as he continued kissing down the side of Bitty’s neck, sucking at his skin where neck met shoulder. One of Bitty’s hands skimmed up Kent’s neck to grip the hair at the back of his head and encourage him to keep mouthing at Bitty’s neck. 

Kent knew exactly what he was doing. He knew that Bitty liked being kissed and marked up, he had seen him with a fair number of hickeys before (from Jack). He smirked against Bitty’s neck before continuing down further to press open-mouthed kisses to Bitty’s throat and along his collarbone where the strap of his tank top had slipped to the side. 

Neither Kent nor Bitty noticed when Jack finally rose from his perch on the couch. He was hard just from watching them make out with each other, documentary long forgotten as his arousal took over. 

Jack had imagined it plenty of times: Kenny and Bitty together, but nothing he fantasized about could compete with seeing the two of them together in real life, making out in the middle of his living room. The only things that would make it better were if they were making out in his bed and if he joined in and got his hands on them both. 

Jack couldn’t even process his feelings about Bitty and Kent finally admitting their feelings to each other. He just needed to touch his boyfriends and soon. 

After taking a moment to just look, Jack walked the few short steps from the couch to where Bitty and Kent embraced. They were close to crossing the line from making out to frotting against each other. 

As Jack approached, they were no longer kissing, and Kent stopped in his pursuit to mark Bitty’s neck. They were just clinging to each other, foreheads touching, breathing the same air. Finally catching their breath. 

Jack put a large hand on both of their backs, hugging them from the side, and could feel it when they simultaneously leaned into the awkward embrace. He bent his head down to nuzzle the side if Bitty’s head and kiss behind his ear close to a blossoming mark on his neck that Kent left. Bitty shivered as Jack nosed at his neck and pressed his forehead more fully against Kent’s. 

Once Jack was done nuzzling and gently kissing Bitty’s neck he pulled away a bit and turned to look at Kent, tangling a hand in Kent’s hair and kissing his cheek, his nose bumping against both Kent’s and Bitty’s in the process. 

All three of them laughed briefly, it dispelled any remaining tension, but still left them all feeling warm and aroused. 

Jack spoke and disturbed the silence, apart from their labored breathing, “We should continue this in the bedroom, eh?” 

Kent moved his hand from where it lay against the small of Bitty’s back, to fiddle with the waistband of Jack’s sweatpants, he trailed his fingers along the warm skin of Jack’s abdomen under the elastic of his sweats and boxer-briefs. Jack sighed, leaning forward into the light touch, just wishing Kent’s hand would reach a little bit lower and grasp his aching cock. 

“Yeah, Zimms, you wanna watch me and Bits fuck in that big bed of yours? You can jerk yourself off while Bitty and I roll around in bed.” 

Jack groaned, “Kenny, please…” 

Kent squeezed Bitty’s side with his other hand, “What do you say Bits, want Jack to watch while I suck you off? We both know he likes watching as much as he likes being watched.” 

Bitty sighed leaning into Kent and trying to rub his dick against his thigh, “that sounds good to me, Sweetpea. I can’t wait to get my hands on both of you.” 

At that, Bitty disentangled himself from his _two_ boyfriends and lead the way to Jack’s bedroom, “C’mon boys!” 

\--------------------

A little while later the three of them laid in a naked tangle of bodies on Jack’s bed. Their bodies were sweaty, but the sheets were cool and soft. 

Bitty lay spooned behind Kent his left leg draped over Kent’s hip. Kent held Bitty’s hand that lay against his stomach. Jack was on Kent’s other side. He laid facing Kent and Bitty, one arm folded under his head, the other played with Kent and Bitty’s fingers entwined against Kent’s stomach. 

Their legs were tangled together, Jack’s left foot brushed against Kent’s while his right leg was bent at the knee as it rested between Kent’s bent legs. Bitty’s foot brushed against the hair on Jack’s thigh. 

Jack had a soft smile on his face, as he watched his boyfriends bask in the afterglow. 

Eventually, Jack shuffled his foot to drag the comforter up the bed until he was able to grab it with his hand and drape it over the three of them. 

A little while later, Bitty sat up to lean against the headboard. Kent had fallen asleep and he and Jack just shared a smile unsurprised that Kent fell asleep after the emotional confessions coupled with mind-blowing sex. Bitty ran his fingers through Kent’s hair, feeling Kent lean into the touch even while sleeping. 

While Bitty continued to pet Kent’s hair, Kent rolled over in his sleep and leaned his head against Bitty’s thigh and slung an arm across his hips. Startled by the movement, Jack roused from his doze and turned on his side so that he could spoon Kent and continue cuddling. 

Bitty reached over to brush Jack’s bangs back off of his face, “Hey, sweetpea, how are you doing?” 

“Mmm, Bits I feel great, I’m so happy,” Jack mumbled from where his face was buried in Kent’s hair. He lifted his head and smiled at Bitty, all soft mouth and droopy eyes. 

“Me too, honey. Can’t believe I have two boyfriends now.” 

“You should get used to it bud, we’re not going anywhere. Right, Kenny?” Jack nudged Kent, who he knew was awake even though he had been playing opossum for the last few minutes.

“Mmhmm,” Kent mumbled in agreement. He barely moved from his position but did lift his head from where it was pillowed on Bitty’s thigh to smile at Bitty and then Jack.  
“I could get used to this. Best sex I’ve ever had.” 

Kent rolled onto his back and stretched languidly, like a cat after a long nap. He knocked into Jack in the process before settling again. A smirk stretched across his face before he spoke again, “Even threesomes are somehow hotter when you’re all in love.” 

In response, Jack just laughed and pinched Kent on the hip, causing him to squawk in surprise which only made Jack laugh harder. Bitty looked at his boyfriends through loving eyes. He ran his hand through Kent’s disheveled hair and joined in on the laughter. He should have seen the tag-team tickling coming, but was content to be a pile of limbs and laughter with the two people he loved most.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to Ngozi for creating Check Please! and all of these awesome characters to write!  
> Take a look at her comic [here](https://checkpleasecomic.com/comic/01-01-01)
> 
> Talk to me on Tumblr, I'm [iboughtaplant](https://iboughtaplant.tumblr.com)


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